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Lauren Markoe

Lauren Markoe covered government and features as a daily newspaper reporter for 15 years before joining the Religion News Service staff as a national correspondent in 2011. She previously was Washington correspondent for The State (Columbia, S.C.)

Duane Lamers

Larry, if you have knowledge of “the other side” of this story, please give it. At this point all we know is that the ACLU said that the woman was sent home despite the best medical advice. Was “the best medical advice” that which the ACLU wanted to hear and only that?
What constituted a “danger to health” here? The woman’s wish not to bear a child? Remember, abortion and contraception are considered by liberals to be health issues. They are, but not nearly as often as liberals want them to be. For some, choice is about health, and that is the line they continue to use.

Earold Gunter

Duane, If you would like to follow the hyperlink in the article, you can read more about this situation. Also, the actual complaint can be found as well. If you are interested in learning more about the ACLU position, here is the complaint location.
https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/complaint_final_1.pdf

Larry

We have bishops and other clergy members setting standards of medical care for hospitals controlled by their church. These are not doctors, these are not people who are acting with concern for medical necessity, public safety or the overall health of patients who come to such facilities. These are people who have no problem upholding their religious dogma at the expense of patient health.

Refusal to give potential life saving care or even correct information is a danger to public health. Yet this is standard operating procedure for Catholic medical facilities where the issue is medically necessary abortions.

This incident could have been a reply of the one in Ireland.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/20/world/europe/jury-cites-poor-medical-care-in-death-of-indian-woman-in-ireland.html?_r=0

This is more of a medical malpractice issue than a civil liberties one.
The ACLU is stretching its point for cheap publicity.

Unlike Ireland, there are no safe harbor laws for doctors to hide behind if they chose religious dogma over patient care. The hospital can be found negligently departing from the standards of medical care. Typical malpractice.

Duane Lamers

Yours is that peculiar, liberal definition of oppression, McGrath. Women can buy contraceptives at the pharmacy, maybe even at the supermarket. Men, too. Women and men can choose surgical sterilization, even paying for it themselves.

Larry

An organized effort to deny medical care based on gender sounds oppressive to me.

Women may be able to buy contraceptives but they risk dying if they have to go to a Catholic hospital if a pregnancy endangers her life. Evidently the USCCB’s notion of religious freedom comes with a body count.